It's worth considering, however, that the 49ers have beaten their longtime winter rival in different ways since Harbaugh took the helm in 2011.

In 2012, Alex Smith outplayed Aaron Rodgers in his smart, efficient fashion. In last season's playoffs, Colin Kaepernick racked up 181 rushing yards on the read-option. In this season's opener, Kaepernick used his arm, racking up 208 of his 412 passing yards with Anquan Boldin.

How does the coach view Sunday's opponent?

“I think they’re an excellent football team and we have great respect for them as a team,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t know about any other way to determine it than that, but that’s what it is.”

Three-dotting:Smith (125.6) bested counterpart Rodgers (93.3) in passer rating... Smith threw one of his two touchdown pass to Randy Moss, who made his organizational debut… Running back Frank Gore averaged seven yards per carry, with 112 yards overall… Kicker David Akers nailed a 63-yard field goal, which at the time tied the NFL’s record for longest successful field goal attempt, just before halftime… Linebacker NaVorro Bowman led the unit with 11 tackles and snared his first career interception… The Packers outscored the 49ers, 13-0, in the fourth quarter but couldn’t complete the comeback. The first of those points came on a 75-yard Randall Cobb punt return… The 49ers win snapped an eight-game skid against the Packers and was their first victory in Green Bay since 1990.

Three-dotting:The Packers jumped out to a 7-0 lead on cornerback Sam Shields’ 52-yard pick-six… Kaepernick made up for the miscue with his legs, running for 20-yard and 56-yard touchdowns on his way to an NFL-record 181-yard game on the ground… He also threw a pair of touchdown passes to Michael Crabtree, who caught nine passes for 119 yards overall… Cornerback Tarell Brown’s impressive, over-the-shoulder pick on a Aaron Rodgers pass shifted the momentum of the game… Linebacker Patrick Willis racked up a team-high seven tackles, including a sack for a nine-yard loss… Defensive tackle Justin Smith played through an injury to his tricep muscle, recording five tackles.

Three-dotting:Kaepernick threw for a career-high 412 yards and three touchdowns, while Rodgers threw for 333 yards and three scores… In his first game as a 49ers wideout, Boldin caught 13 balls for 208 yards and a touchdown… Boldin had 73 yards at halftime… Tight end Vernon Davis caught Kaepernick’s other two touchdowns for the first multi-score game of his career… Neither running back Frank Gore nor his Packers counterpart, Eddie Lacy, cracked the 44-yard rushing total… Lacy’s first NFL touchdown gave Green Bay its first lead, 28-24, late in the game… Safety Eric Reid recorded an interception in his NFL debut… A brief fracas broke out after Packers linebacker Clay Matthews knocked Kaepernick out of bounds in the first quarter.